1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input apparatus for controlling a plurality of electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Coming rapidly into widespread use today are two-way cable systems and computer-based commercial networks including what is known as the Internet utilizing electronic mail (E-mail) and the World Wide Web (WWW). Such networks are no longer limited in their use to computers on the desk top; they are fast finding their way into various electronic devices that make up an audio-visual (AV) system in the household living room. For example, terminal equipment connected to the Internet or like networks for computer communication through telephone lines may be hooked up with a television monitor device. With the terminal connected illustratively to the Internet, the monitor may display text information, graphics and icons.
Control of and text input to such terminal equipment are generally effected by use of a keyboard connected to the terminal via a cable. Some keyboards developed in recent years are capable of transmitting to the connected terminal information generated by key operations in wireless fashion using infrared signals (IR (infrared ray) keyboards).
At present, AV devices are controlled by their respective controllers. If keyboard-controlled terminal equipment of the above-described type is connected to a plurality of AV devices each controlled by a dedicated controller, the user is required to manipulate both the multiple controllers and the keyboard. The operations involved in such cases are complicated and difficult to accomplish.
Many of today's AV devices are equipped with a graphic interface that allows graphics to be displayed illustratively on a connected monitor. The trouble with such setups is that to display graphics, each AV device must be operated with its dedicated controller.